Gallery: Dark Lord Conquers Earth in StarWars:TheCompleteVader

This Hungarian poster is just one of the vintage Darth Vader variants in Star Wars: The Complete Vader, a new book documenting the Dark Lord's international allure.

A 1999 advertising graphic for a Star Wars-themed Japanese clothing line.

Concept sketch for Yoshitoku's samurai version of Darth Vader

Yoshitoku's quarter-scale Darth Vader costume from 2007

Emek poster promoting a Good Charlotte gig at Skywalker Ranch

Japanese poster for The Empire Strikes Back by Noriyoshi Ohrai

Japanese Starlog magazine cover

Gentle Giant's Vader action figure

Animatic interior of the Vader mask

Japanese videogame poster

Sharon BuMann's butter sculpture of Darth Vader in a refrigerated display case at the 2004 Tulsa State Fair

Polish poster by Witold Dybowski

Japanese Darth Vader subway poster from the late 1980s, produced by Panasonic

Vader-themed ice cream wrapper art from Germany

Darth Vader Transformers action figure

Japanese ad features Darth Vader with school girls

Portuguese Darth Vader promotion

Japanese poster for The Art of Star Wars exhibit

Japanese poster

Concept art for The Force Unleashed shows a battle-weary Vader.

A child's drawing of Darth Vader

Steampunk Vader by Eric Poulton

Cameron Balloons' 2007 Darth Vader hot-air balloon

Brandon Bond's back tattoo portrait of the Sith Lord

Enter to win a copy of Star Wars: The Complete Vader below.

How strong is Darth Vader’s grip on humanity? The new book Star Wars: The Complete Vader charts the Dark Lord’s utter domination of Earth’s imagination, showing off rarely seen variations on George Lucas’ antihero, from international movie posters to an Oklahoma butter sculpture.

The picture-packed hardcover, which hit stores Tuesday, assembles a galaxy of artwork and information about sci-fi’s most wicked father figure, blasting us with 192 pages of sketches, photographs and nerd-worthy nuggets of officially vetted Vader lore.

Written by Ryder Windham and Pete Vilmur, The Complete Vader also packs an assortment of pull-out facsimile documents enfolded in pocket inserts, including hilariously micromanaged instructions typed on Lucasfilm letterhead that detail exactly how actors should wear the Darth Vader uniform when making personal appearances:

“The pants (with suspenders) go on first, then the shirt and vest. The codpiece is put on next, then the chestplate with straps…. The cape should fall in pleats on either side of the belt buckle, with the light boxes arranged, one on each side of the buckle.”

Lucasfilm’s scrutiny notwithstanding, Darth Vader lends himself to a wild assortment of interpretations. Star Wars’ global impact is represented with wild posters from Japan and Hungary, while Germans weigh in with vivid Vader-themed ice cream bars. The book also collects offbeat Vader-shaped items like a Transformer toy and a functioning hot-air balloon.

See a sampling of Vader variations in The Complete Vader gallery above.

Win a Copy of Star Wars: The Complete Vader

To qualify for the giveaway, check out the Complete Vader gallery above and describe your favorite Darth Vader image in the comments section below.

Deadline to enter is 12:01 a.m. Pacific on Oct. 26, 2011. One randomly selected winner will be notified by e-mail or Twitter. Winners must live in the United States.

Note: If you do not have an e-mail address or Twitter handle associated with your Disqus login, you must include contact information in your comment to be eligible. Any winner who does not respond to Wired’s notification within 72 hours will forfeit the prize.

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